The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Many vehicles include a telematics system for detecting, monitoring, and recording certain information about the vehicle, such as vehicle speed and acceleration history data, tire pressure data, system malfunctions, vehicle location, maintenance information, and the like. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as pricing auto insurance, fleet management, accident investigation, recovering stolen vehicles, and the like.
Most conventional systems include a telematics unit, which operates using associated software (e.g., middleware and/or firmware). More specifically, the telematics unit obtains vehicle data (e.g., vehicle speed, acceleration, location, etc.) from sensors within the vehicle. The telematics unit controls which type and amount of data that is gathered from the sensors and controls how the data is processed and/or stored by the telematics unit.
The telematics unit can also include a diagnostics port, and the data stored on the telematics unit can be transmitted via the diagnostics port to an external unit, such as a personal computer. For instance, connecting wires can be attached between the diagnostics port and the external unit to upload the data stored on the telematics unit. Other systems include a wireless link device for wirelessly transmitting the data from the telematics unit to the external unit. Then, the external unit can further process, analyze, and/or display the vehicle data for maintenance, vehicle insurance, fleet management, and other purposes.
Also, in some cases, information is downloaded to the telematics unit from the external unit in order to synchronize the telematics unit and the external unit. For instance, it may be necessary to download a new, updated version or configuration of the telematics unit software. Also, users may wish to change the amount and/or type of data recorded by the telematics unit, and so the external device can be electrically connected to the telematics unit to make appropriate changes to the telematics software in the vehicle.
Typically, information is transferred to or from the telematics unit when the vehicle is stopped and the vehicle's main battery is supplying power to the telematics unit (e.g., when the ignition switch is in the “ENGINE ON” position or “ACCESSORY ON” position). Otherwise, if a transmitting device is connected to the diagnostics port and attempts to draw power from the vehicle's battery, the vehicle alarm system will likely be triggered. Accordingly, an extra person is typically needed in the vehicle for powering the vehicle during downloading or uploading of the vehicle information, and this can be an inconvenient and wasteful use of time for the person supplying power to the vehicle as well as an undesirable waste of vehicle battery power.
Other telematics systems include a removable memory device that can be manually transferred between the telematics unit and the external unit for data transfer. However, this manual process can also be inconvenient and cumbersome.